CDD-Ghana calls on govt to step up fight against corruption

The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has urged the government, the private sector  and other organisations to join the fight against corruption.

“While acknowledging that the fight against corruption is a joint effort between state and non-state actors, CDD-Ghana, however, urges the government and official state anti-corruption bodies to lead the crusade against corruption in Ghana,” it said.

A statement issued by the CDD-Ghana to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day Wednesday said corruption was a major disservice to the economic growth of the country, since resources meant for development were siphoned by people in authority, leaving government projects delayed.

That situation, it said, had led to poor standard of living by majority of the citizens.

“According to the 2015 facts and figures on corruption and development published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), corruption earns its actors about $1 trillion in bribes and an estimated $ 3 billion untraceable transactions annually,” the statement added.

The CDD cited the report by the Global Corruption Barometer released by Transparency International for 2015 to buttress its point on the need for a holistic approach to fighting corruption.

Relevance of theme

Highlighting the relevance of the theme for this year, “Break the Corruption Chain”, CDD urged strong governmental leadership and the support of other non-state institutions to lead the crusade.

The International Anti-Corruption Day is commemorated on December 9 annually to mobilise efforts and energy to fight against corruption by United Nations (UN) member countries.